


Commander Blues

by donutella



Category: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Aalya and Bly make me cry, Clone Wars era, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Planet Naboo (Star Wars), Twilight of the Republic, cave in's, chain of command, comfort in war, depictions of war, rest and recovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-23 12:02:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16158596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donutella/pseuds/donutella
Summary: Commander Bly knows he's lucky to have been assigned to General Secura, not all of the Jedi (or the galaxy) consider the clones as living beings. Though it's not really fair that she keeps insisting he's important, not when there are millions of his brothers just like him, who could probably serve her and the 327th' better.





	1. Chapter 1

General Secura, finally within an enclosed, safe space and most importantly _alone,_ let out the frustrated sigh she’d been holding in for days. She let her head hit the door behind her with a thump and didn’t bother to shift her Lekku out the way. Let it hurt, she thought mulishly, give me something real to hang onto. Closing her eyes that felt like they were made of grit and sand and blood as her eyelids scraped down, she tried to bundle up the hurt, the pain, the anger and throw it out of the proverbial airlock.

 

The battle (the war in general) was bloody and hard fought. The pain of the clones, the Jedi, the galaxy, grated on her senses. If she thought about it too much, or more often than she currently did, she could feel the ebb and flow of the life around her. Before the war, Aayla had found peace in that cycle. For the most part life and death were natural, there was balance in the Force as a whole. But now, but now… the death was magnified, twisted and warped as these men who had been bred for the slaughter fought and died over and over and over and over and over-

 

She took a steadying breath. Focusing on these emotions was of no use; all it did was feel like her own brush with the Dark Side. Strange, how now she viewed that as an advantage when once it was her biggest embarrassment. She could feel the signs of it, the pull of it, hooking into every crack it could in any Jedi who faltered, even for a moment. A crack can easily be eroded to a bursting fissure. Aayla fought it always, and even then she could hear it’s call in the din of war. She guessed she was more active in this than most Jedi, who viewed themselves as above the ability to fall unaware that that weakness would be their undoing.

 

After a while of leaning against the door, General Secura pulled herself together, slapping her face lightly to shake off the morose trance she was slipping into. Her quarters were Spartan, at her request. Whilst she couldn’t exactly bunk with the boys, she wasn’t _that_ blind, she didn’t like the pedestal that they tried to put her on either. With every opportunity she was trying to demonstrate to them that the keys to being a good Jedi were being humble and selfless. Not that they were really getting the message, asides from maybe Bly. She smiled to herself fondly. Bly the Good Guy, as she’d heard Cody mutter to Rex who’d hidden a snort in a strangled cough sound, when they’d once witnessed him attempt to help her out of a transport. The Good Guy, indeed.

 

Aayla removed her trappings of war with quick, practiced motions. Her Lek twitched and curled with relief to be free for the first time in a while. It had been the usual ‘Great Plan But Actually a Cluster Fuck’ that the GAR seemed to prefer on their day to day. A space battle, a boarding, a cruiser down, hostile troops on the ground, imprisonment, breakout, a dog fight for the air support to break through. The 327th Star Corps had fought bravely. They were an unbroken chain of strength, tied together by her and Bly. Aayla dumped her clothes in a heap and sat down in the sonic, her head in her hands as her Lek curled around her neck to protect her. They had lost many, many men. Many of them boys. Just boys, fresh off of Kamino with stars in their eyes and her horrified face reflecting off of their armour as they died.

 

Aayla sat in the sonic for long after it turned off, and softly cried, naming the fallen troopers before letting them go into the Force.

 

+

 

“Commander, what am I looking at here.”

 

Bly jumped to attention at the sound of his general’s voice. He hadn’t even noticed her come _in_ , she moved like a fucking _Tooka_ and it wasn’t even 0700 yet-

 

“Bly? I didn't scare you again did I?” The General softly teased, patting his shoulder as she rounded on the war table, hands spread on the edge as she leaned across from him. Bly coughed to clear his throat.

 

“No Sir, just… uh… you’re early.”

 

Aayla raised an eyebrow at this, and Bly fought the urge to rub the back of his neck.

 

“I couldn’t sleep.” She said, simply.

 

“Me neither.” Bly agreed. They stared at each other for a moment.

 

“Do you have the final count?”

 

“87 from the 327th, 567 total casualties. 80% of those where shinies, Sir.” Bly said after a pause. The numbers hung heavily in the air. As he’d watch her do several times, the General seemed to gather in on her self, eyes closed, before breathing out slowly. The tension slowly drained from her shoulders. Bly catalogued it under “weird force stuff” and sub folder “Gen Secura specific traits”. He waited till she said her prayer to carry on.

 

“They are one with the Force now, and the Force is with them.” The General said quietly to the universe. The room’s ambient noise seemed to press in. the whir of cooling fans, soft beeps of comms and the usual chatter from the night team in the comms bays drifting down the hall. The General shook herself slightly, then looked at Bly.

 

“So what is your distraction today, Commander?”

 

Bly huffed a laugh. “Well, I’ve been looking at the read outs for Kamino, Sir. How we can prevent another attack, what we can put in place for the cadets, so they feel safer.” Bly pointed to something, and enlarged it. The General narrowed her eyes and nodded.

 

“The lower levels, and submerged platforms.” She said, point to what he’d enlarged. “whilst they're difficult to reach, their location shouldn’t be their first and only defence. And with their closeness to the youngest cadet quarters it is an easy target. Good thinking, Commander.”

 

Bly nodded and tried not to squirm under her praise, despite having been her Commander for over a year now.

 

“Thank you General. It’s… well, the life of a clone may not be much, Sir, but we defend our brothers.”

 

“Bly…”

 

“No, I’m serious General. I know what I am, what we are. And that’s fine. It’s a mighty honour to fight and die for the Republic,” the _fight for you_ was a silent but heavy thing in his words, “I just want to make sure as many get a chance to as possible, especially to serve with a Jedi like you, Sir, who makes it worth a little more.”

 

The General was watching him with sad eyes. She hadn’t moved, just watching, and impossibly sad. Bly shook himself for his wayward tongue.

 

“I wish you could see yourself in the Force.” She said. Low, solemn, intensely focused. “I wish you all could. Just because you were made, does not mean you are things, Bly. And fighting to die is no way to live. The war will end someday, and you will continue to exist.” She stretched her fingers against the desk, her claws scratching as they flexed. It was a tick he’d documented when she was frustrated. Bly sighed, and took off his bucket so she could see his face. She hated talking to the helmets, she once had told him. _They look like death masks_ was her explanation.

 

“Pardon me, General, but the Force isn’t exactly looking out for us clones. Not that we don’t appreciate the Jedi!” he hastily added as her eyebrows shot up, “but it’s not like we have the best run of things, as the galaxy goes.” Aayla sighed again, claws tapping, before she straightened up and stretched. Bly wished he had his bucket back on as her hips and stomach flexed with her, lekku swinging.

 

“I agree that you’re not treated fairly, as living beings should. But maybe one day, Bly, you’ll see you and your brothers how I do. But, until that point where I can convince you of your worth, shall we go about setting Kamino to rights?” She moved to his side, spinning the read out around again. Bly ducked his chin and gave a quiet ‘yessir’ before pointing out further weaknesses, as she nodded or added to his comments. He appreciated the distraction, especially from a topic that could have him written up for treason. He appreciated even more how, when leaning to point at something, she rested her hand on his shoulder. She left it there for the rest of their impromptu strategy meeting.

 

+

 

“What’s the plan Commander?” A coughing Shiny wheezed at him from the darkness. Fuck all, thought Bly. The plan is ‘Fuck all the other plans we had that let this happen’.

 

“Establish comms. And everybody sound off, who’s not dead?” Bly snapped.

 

Groans and grumbles echoed around the newly sealed cavern they found themselves in. he flicked his torches on and did an area sweep. Bodies and droids had fallen with them as the cavern collapsed, creating a horrifying wall that would’ve had him puking onto his boots before Geonosis; he didn't spare it a glance. Convinced there were no Seppies in here with them, he got Galle to catalogue their supplies and set the perimeter. All the while Bly was mashing his comms, both personal and general, to get through to his Jedi. Just before the rocket that exploded seemingly beneath his feet, she had been leaping to the front with him on her heels, taking down tanks and _throwing them at other tanks._ His comms only fed back garbled battle droid binary and static.

 

“Fuck. Anyone else got comms yet?” despondent ‘no’s’ came back to him, echoing around the cavern. It was already starting to get hot, and those bodies (both dead and alive) would soon start to smell.

 

“Galle, a word.”

 

The lieutenant came to him.

 

“Yessir?”

 

“We need every comm link in here, and I don't care if you have to wrestle it off the fuckers. We need a bigger signal, otherwise the General is never going to find us in all that noise.”

 

“Of course Sir. But could you not just…?” Galle stopped, and gestured a hand around his head in a vague fluttering manner.

 

“What the hell does that mean?” Bly said, imitating him. Galle shrugged.

 

“Force comm her I guess? You two are weirdly in sync, surely you just think really hard and she’ll appear?”

 

“She’s not a _mirage_ , Galle, you can’t just will her into existence.” Bly bit out, incredulous. Galle shrugged again, unrepentant.

 

“You didn't deny you’re weirdly in sync though.”

 

“Just get the fucking comlinks, Galle, before I smash up your visor with my fist.”

 

Galle laughed and smacked him on the back before going off and gathering comlinks. Bly looked around again. The rocks were likely unstable from the outside, judging by the rumbling and flakes of dust falling around them, but seemed to be holding this side. As long as there where no explosions, and no shouting, they should hold out until Aayla got there. (if, if she got there)

 

“Hey! Commander! Come look at this! I think it’s a-” A hysterial sounding Shiny shouted, pointing to something probably not that exciting as the roof came tumbling in on them at the volume of his voice.

 

Fuck this, Bly thought, fuck _all of this_ , before being hit hard enough that his head slammed the inside of his helmet and knocked him out.

 

+

 

General Secura was blue fury, darting across the field like a spirit of death. Death for droids, mind you, but death all the same. Blood, probably her own but also probably not, was smeared up the side of her from hip to cheek, catching in her nostrils and mouth so it felt like she was surrounded by blood. They’d had bad intel, and were paying the price. The next time she saw Vos she was going to kick him up the ass to get him to sort out the Jedi Shadows.

 

She was struggling with the tanks, but couldn’t let the boys know. Her power to cut them a path was the only thing keeping them from being cornered and with every one she disabled and took down, there was a matching roar from her men and renewed ferocity. She knew that they fed off of her power to keep them going, but it had never been so vital for survival before. They had to reach the ridge before sundown.

 

She felt the rocket being loaded, along with all the others she was stopping, but this one slipped through her grasp. She felt it coming, and she misjudged; just at that moment, a glancing shot skimmed Bly’s helmet (the shot was good, but somehow bent it mid air) Intending to catch the blast in the tank she was launching into the air, she missed by a hair with her diverted attention. The rocket pinged off the tank, and headed down sooner than it was supposed to. Right behind her. In front of Bly, and the front squad.

 

Chaos and silence. Aayla was thrown into the air, barrelling through droids as rocks and debris followed her, she saw the earth open and close again, stealing away the bodies and the survivors. She hit the ground, then nothing.

 

+

 

“There are better place to take a nap than on the ground, you know.” A drawling voice said as she was hoisted up and deposited on a stretcher. The gentle but firm hands, combined with the lack of cuffs, suggested clones. The reinforcements. The 212th. Aayla drew in a croaking breath.

 

“Kenobi?”

 

“Yes, you’re safe now, old friend.”

 

“The men?”

 

“Getting treatment, more survivors than expected.”

 

“Bly?”

 

A pause.

 

“Bly?” she said again, as firmly as she could.

 

“Missing in action, Sir.” A clone voice responded. Maybe Cody from the way it hitched, but her eyes were closed and her head was swimming. Her lekku hurt so much she could barely hear.

“He’s alive. There was a cave in, close to the initial impact. Dig carefully, I can feel them.” She murmured, before passing out entirely.

 

Kenobi looked from his unconscious friend to his commander and squared his jaw.

 

“Get everyone you can, and emergency supplies. You’ve got 5 minutes.”

 

Cody was already sprinting to the supplies tent.

 

+

 

His HUD was down for the count. Frazzled LED’s sputtered making it difficult to keep his eyes open without being blinded. The rocks were weighing down, it had been hours. Days, maybe? He wasn’t sure. He was sure though he would soon be dead. His left arm was pinned, and had lost feeling long ago. He was pretty sure that it was broken beyond repair and probably festering. The rest of him didn't feel much better. Bly sighed.

 

Time passed. The oxygen was thinning in his suit and he thought he could here the broken alarm trying to warn him of toxicity levels, but it all sounded like his ears ringing now. He’d started to drift in and out of consciousness, flashes of blue and brown behind his eyelids and he sighed. Poor little clone, he thought, in love with his Jedi. Just once, he should’ve said something; anything. Called her by name, not Sir or General. Aayla. Rounded out the vowels on his tongue _out loud_. _A-a-y-l-a._ The boys thought her beautiful, and she was, but Bly thought of her like a hurricane. A calm, unmoving place surrounded by fury and passion that took out anything in it’s path. It had certainly taken him out; the 327ths swirled around in her vortex. But sometimes, less as the war dragged on, he saw the Jedi she wanted to be all the time; peaceful, strong, but fair and compassionate. Soothing, but steadfast. A life where she’d have never had to take life to survive, where she didn’t lead at the front because there was no front. A life without him, his brothers, even existing to cause the conflict in the heart of the Jedi Order ( _how do you respect life when it was not created by the Force)_ Bly smiled sadly and let out a quiet gasping sob as the rocks shifted on his crushed arm. He knew in his heart, that they were all slowly eroding the Jedi, killing their way of life. But he was too selfish to want the war to end; he’d happily slip away here, buried in rocks and the bodies and the thought of her, than let it end. (in the dark, he knew somehow, _he knew_ , _they all did_ , what was waiting and coiled in their brains, _good soldier’s follow-_ )

 

The rocks shifted again, more intentionally. Bly could hear the pattering of something up there. Could be friendlies, could be hostiles. He did a stock take of his person on autopilot; a flash grenade, a switch blade in his vambrace, maybe a working blaster in his holster. It was on the crushed side though, so probably not. Digging noises. Faint shouts. His vision blurred, it was all blue.

 

+

 

_“Where are the medics?!”_

_“They’re all here Sir!”_

_“Get everyone then! Anyone who’s ever done field first aid, get them in here now!”_

_“pass me that scalpel-“_

_“There’s too much missing! I can’t stitch back together nothing!”_

_“don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it-“_

_“Is that the General?!”_

_General! General Secura, Sir! Can you hear me?_

_Is she-_

_She’s alive! Holy shit she’s alive!-_

_General!-_

_What’s wrong with her-_

_Get out the way, shiny, clear the table-_

_General Kenobi, is she-_

_Breathing! We have breathing-_

_General, can you open your eyes-_

_Nothing can keep OUR General down-_

_First wave of the dig out coming in hot, poor bastards-_

_I can’t get the armour off! The bone’s gone thro-_

_Commander?!_

_COMMANDER-_

 

+

 

Bly came round slowly. The beeping of life support was loud and irritating, but there was a soothing presence to his left. He became aware of the pain, everywhere, and was dimly surprised that he could feel his left arm but couldn’t remember why. It felt like he was on high grade morphine, the commander part of his brain told him sluggishly, which made everything take on a slow feel, and he could taste the fresh air dragging through his lungs. A cool hand rested on his brow, turning over to test his temperate. He moved his face with it when it tried to move. A soft chuckle drifted through his ears, then his eyes blearily opened. General Secura, banged up but not broken, was sat next to his bed.

 

“Sgenrl?” he mumbled, trying to get his tongue unstuck from the roof of his mouth. She smiled at him and, apparently satisfied with his temperature, slid her hand down to cup his cheek.

 

“You gave us all quite a scare, Bly. Try not to bury yourself again.” She said softly. Her voice was cracked and strained, like she’d taken a blow to the neck, but her thumb was gentle as it swiped over his cheekbone. Probably due to the drug high, Bly snuggled further into her hand, too far gone to give a fuck.

 

“Sorry.” He mumbled, looking up at her with unfocused eyes, “see what hap’ns when you’re gone? I can’t do shit. You’re my carer.”

 

She laughed, her eyes seemed to glisten in the half light.

 

“I’m your CO, not your carer Bly. And I’m sorry I jumped ahead. I’m sorry… I’m sorry I let something through my defences and you got hurt.” She said quietly again, scooting closer to the bed. His eyes suddenly focused on hers.

 

“Don’ worry about it General. You can’t lose me when millions of me exist.” He said that last part to himself, into the side of her hand. Aayla’s heart squeezed in her chest.

 

“Oh Bly.” She said quietly, as he drifted back to sleep and certain he would remember none of it. “My sad, beautiful Bly.”

 

She sat with him till he awoke again, more cognitive and a lot more angry.

 

“What the fuck happened General?” he blazed, eyes alight with fire.

 

“I missed.” She said simply. It through him off.

 

“What do you mean you missed? You never miss, missed what?”

 

“I missed the rocket that buried you and hurt countless others. I was supposed to hit it with that tank and control the explosion. But I was… distracted.”

 

Bly frowned at her from the bed. He attempted to cross his arms then looked down at his left side and sighed, muttered a curse in Mando’a.

 

“Yes, it was crushed quite badly. It’s pinned though, and once you’re clear here you’re going in bacta for a while, but it will heal.”

 

“I don’t give a _fuck_ about my _arm_ General, what in karking hell distracted you? I’ve seen you wrestle a wampa and headshot a sniper from a mile away at the same time. What could be _that_ important that you were distracted, General and ended up looking like you probably can’t fight for _weeks_?”

 

There was concern there, she knew. This was being spoken as her commander but the root of it was concern. She knew that they thought her fighting was flawless, that she couldn’t loose. The idea of her failing, even for a moment, was petrifying to them. Aayla scrubbed a hand over her face before continuing.

 

“You should’ve died, there was a shot on you that was good. It would’ve taken your head off your shoulders. I stopped it, and I missed with the tank because I tried to do both at the same time.”

 

Bly’s mulish frown dissolved, she thought he was going to cry for a moment before the rage resurfaced.

 

“With all due respect General, that was incredibly stupid of you. I’m just one clone, and it looks like you put your life at risk.” He spat, gesturing to her bandages. Aayla scowled at him for a moment.

 

“My choices are my own, Commander.”

 

“Well, I think it was a bad one.”

 

“I think you’re wrong.” She said with finality. “I need a Commander I trust. And more importantly, I didn’t want you to die.”

 

“There are other Commander’s that could’ve taken my place, Sir.”

 

“Bly, no one could take your place. If I am to remain whole in this war, I need _you_ by my side.”

 

She stood up, then thought for a moment, then sat back down.

 

“Let me show you something, Commander, if you’ll let me.” The General extended her hands towards his right one. He hesitantly reached back, still seething and glaring. Aayla took his hand in hers and breathed, closing her eyes. She had done this occasionally, but it was still hard. She saw him in the force, currently boiling with anger, but the heart of him underneath still glimmered. She reached for it, surrounding it and supporting it, and heard a faint intake of breath. Stretching out her feelings to encompass both of them – **_Bly, I want you to see what I see._**

 

A shiny Commander, dropping from an airship in the Geonosis sand. A stiff salute, stiff posture, finger on the trigger. Aayla clipping him in the back of the knee with her boot to loosen his stance, an affronted and undignified yelp. A man falling onto a bench and banging his head on the table in frustration, Aayla laughing and doing impressions droids. A strong hand on her shoulder, kind eyes, tactical read outs casting shadows. You know what General, I’m still pissed that the 501st shot gunned blue I mean, you ARE blue and – why are you laughing..? Here, extra rations, you need it more than me. Arms around her, tight and strong, and staying, just staying, please don’t die don’t leave me don’t leave me here alone. _I am with you General, to the end._ **_And you, Commander. Till whatever end._**

_Bly opened his eyes and, through hers, saw himself._

 

He pulled her closer with his good arm and she curled around him, her chin on the top of his head, her lekku reaching round his chin to the warmth of his neck. He wept. She wept too.


	2. Bacta Bets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the comments and love, guys. It really means a lot ❤️

Aayla stood in the medical ward in front of a large bacta tank, arms crossed with a hand curled round her chin. She had her weight shifted forward on the balls of her feet, ready for flight at a moments notice even though they were on a R&R period on Naboo. The Chancellor himself insisted on his home planet being used for those batallions that had shown true courage and bravery (back to back high body counts) This was where the 327ths had found themselves being shunted. 

 

Commander Bly hung weightless in the bacta tank, hair growing out and waving in the slow, lazy ripples. The haze of the bacta made it look like he was deep underwater and some kind of amphibian humanoid; the green made him paler, the distortion more sinewy. His eyes flickered beneath the lids in sleepless dreams. Though she tried not to pry on any of her men, she caught wisps of colour saturated battles, blood, his brothers and most touchingly, the blue of her. It was so strong in his mind it was almost like a smell, a taste. He seemed to have taken the essence of her and tucked it between the two lobes of his brain. It kept circling back on what she had shown him in the force. I want you to see what I see. That she respected him, individually. Not what he represented. That she liked him, and his opinions, and wanted him close, close, closer.

 

He seemed overwhelmed and overloaded by it. The droids were growing concerned that he wasn’t waking up and that he might have a long term concussion that was turning malignant.

 

Though perhaps, Aayla thought, he is just processing. It was rather reckless of her to open herself up like that and funnel her power into him, even if only for a moment. His body hadn't grown with the Force chattering in his ear, so it must’ve been deafening to see it all of a sudden. She didn’t regret it though, as long as he could start to understand how she saw him; despite his lack of consciousness he seemed to be taking little crumbs of her suggestion. Well, she thought, maybe she’d regret it if he never woke up again. 

 

Aayla could already feel the tenterhooks of attachment tugging, the Dark just waiting for an opportunity to nip at her heels. She rocked on her feet and pushed it away. Leaning forward, she placed a hand on the tank. It was cool, condensation starting to form on it as the sun rose and heated the room. She felt the thrumming of the motors and life support equipment, of the sparking nerves down his limbs and in his brain, the jittery movements of his eyes. _Wake up, Bly. It’s lonely here without you. It’s cold, and I miss you, and really want to know how happy you’d be that we have real food to eat at the moment._

 

But Commander Bly slept on, and after a few hours of standing meditation, the Jedi softly walked away to check on the rest of her troop. 

 

—

Blue like the skies of Utapau, blazing, bright and too much to look at, going on forever. Blue like Scariff, Pantora, Felucia, the 501st. Bly was wrapped up in blue; holding him back from the war, the pain he knew was there. It covered him, sheltered him, tucked in the edges so nothing could get in. Blue, blue, blue. 

 

We all have a choice, commander

 

Wake up, Bly

 

_**Wake up** _

—-

 

They had been on Naboo for nearly 2 weeks when Bly showed signs of consciousness. Aayla had just sat down to eat with anyone else recovered enough to move that much or was too tempted by the idea of non rehydrated food, before springing up again without a word and leaving the room without her tray. The troopers there all glanced at each other, frowning.

 

“20 creds says Bly just force comm-ed her?” Galle offered, leaning on the table to look for any takers, “What? No takers? Hey it’s not that likely...10 Credits? Ah, you bunch of wimps.”

 

Aayla, once out of sight, took a flying leap off the walk way down to the main hangar of the base before propelling herself to the opposite side and through a 2nd floor window that was open. She slipped inside the medial bay supply room without notice, and grinned at the simple pleasure of using the Force for such innocent subterfuge. It had been a while, probably some forgotten hijinks with Siri and Kit. Slipping out of the little room, she beelined down the corridor to where the bacta tanks were. 

 

“General Secura, CC 5052 is waking-“ 

 

Aayla shut the droid up with a swipe of her hand and shoved it through the door it came from without a glance, striding to the tank. Eyes darting over the suspended figure, she took in his status. Breathing was steady, and much less deep, suggesting he was coming round. His eyes were scrunching rather than flickering behind the lids so he was out of R.E.M. sleep. Bly’s hands, previously drifting out to the side, were now closer to his body like he was pulling himself in. Aayla gently pressed her palms flat on the tank before leaning to press her forehead too. She watched him through lidded eyes before shutting them totally and stretching out with the Force. 

 

Bly was slowly becoming aware of his surroundings - she could feel the sound waves duly vibrating in the bacta around him as he tuned into them groggily. She got an idea. With a forefinger, she began tapping out their private “I am alive, rendezvous at base” code. It was basic binary that could be either sounded out or written down for times of emergency when all comms went down. They had yet to use it, but had spent an afternoon memorising it once after the exact situation it would’ve been useful for happened. Hindsight was a bitch, even to the Jedi. 

 

She completed the code and kept her eyes closed, waiting for the last vibrations to die down in the bacta. After a few minutes, no response, but Aayla was patient. She tapped out the code again but this time with the sharp point of her nail rather than the pad of her finger. The noise was sharper and in a higher frequency, buzzing round the bulk of Bly and pattering against his skin. She waited again. Nothing. 

 

She got through the code another 6 times before-

 

Thump thump thump

 

Aayla opened her eyes to find Bly’s close to the other side of the tank, open and focused on hers. His hands were splayed in front of her blue ones, the forefinger on his right pulled back and waiting. Around the breathing mask it looked like he was smiling, as his hair fanned out in suspended grace. He kept her gaze for a long moment as if she would disappear without the contact. After a weighted pause he let out a stream of bubbles, obscuring his eyes before his finger fell forward and repeated back to her:

 

I am alive. 

 

Then added:

 

How long?

 

She smiled and responded:

 

1 week, long enough. 

 

Sitrep?

 

Battalion on leave, no hostiles.

 

Where?

 

Naboo. rations here. 

 

How?

 

Chancellor. Orders. 

 

There was a pause as they looked at each other. His thoughts were haywire with coming around (always disorientating, especially in bacta) and trying to think of how to ask his questions in their basic code. 

 

You? 

 

Fully operational. You? 

 

50% and holding.

 

Rendezvous with me, mission critical.

 

Terrain inhospitable - I need an evac now

 

Supplies are ready. Clearing drop zone of hostiles.

 

Aayla huffed a giggle at their war chatter, scrunching her nose at him as she summoned the control pad for the tank. I’ve missed you, now come out she sent to him through the force, wrapping the words up in softness and joy. Bly’s head titled with a muffled laugh into his breathing mask. His eyes suddenly flicked to her lekku, before darting back to her eyes. He pointed a few times before blowing more bubbles and tapping -

 

L-E-K-K-U

 

There was no code word for this, so he had done each letter individually. Aayla was puzzled for a moment before glancing down to where he was pointing. Without her noticing, her lekku had twisted themselves together on her chest, the tip of one pointing slightly at Bly. Of course, her troops had never seen this before (why would they, attachment: forbidden) and he was worried. He was frowning, shrugging at her in a “What’s up with that?” way and eying them suspiciously like they were strangling her. Aayla could feel herself blushing cobalt for the first time since she was a Padawan. Mashing the buttons on the control pad, she set the tank to drain and activated the supports for his weakened body whilst summoning back the thoroughly confused droid. She explained as much as she could.

 

Situation friendly. Evac imminent. 

 

This relaxed him enough, soothing the frown away at least, but he watched as she forced them to behave and twitch back into their rightful place. Aayla kept her face smooth whilst she gathered towels for him. The sound of the bacta draining away was deafening due to the outdated plumbing, but Bly was caught by the supports so his legs didn’t have to immediately take his weight. She felt more than heard his groan of relief when he tore off the breathing mask when the bacta hit his shoulders, much to the droid’s annoyance. He said something but it was muffled through the tank so she made a play of cupping her ear cone and shaking her head. Bly shrugged and waved a hand, waiting for the rest of the bacta to go. Finally the clamps released on the door with a thunk-thunk, and Aayla had the force curled around Bly to cushion him.

 

“Did you have a good nap, Commander?” She teased, guiding him out of the supports and onto the prepared recovery bed, taking the majority of his weight for him to prevent the pain. He grinned at her, weary and grateful, but still wobbled and reached for her shoulder. Aayla quickly slid under his arm and wrapped hers around his waist. he was cool for once, closer to her own temperature than usual, and with skin on skin from hip to rib it was inexplicably pleasant. The bacta had smoothed out his skin to a fresh cadet, which she was sure she would hear about for weeks until he was roughed up again to his own standard.

 

“Good enough, General, bacta dreams a strange things though. Ah!” He yelped a little as she lowered him down to the bed, her claws catching slightly on his exposed skin. A thin line of blood raised instantly.

 

“Shit, sorry Bly. Two seconds out of the tank and a mess you up again. Let me get a patch.” 

 

Aayla sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over to the standard issue medial pack bolted above the bed, intent on getting the mini bacta patches that she had always thought useless. Bly lightly rested his hand on her wrist. Aayla glanced down, his eyes were soft but intent.

 

“Leave it, I don’t mind.” He murmured, running a finger along the cut and holding up the droplet gathered, assessing it. His mind beat against hers in a flash of intensity, a mark from you is one worth keeping. His eyes flicked back to her face and apparently her mastery of her emotions was not what she thought. His jaw dropped as realisation dawned.

 

“Sor-Sorry General, did you hear that? It wasn’t- I mean, it was but I didn’t-“ Bly stopped, shook his head to clear it before fixing Aayla with his gaze. “I think the treatments have muddled up my head, Sir. I apologise.” 

 

Aayla continued to stare at him. A minute ticked by. She carven Lazuli at his bedside, but Bly started to fidget under the fire of her eyes.

 

“...General?” He croaked, suddenly hyper aware of how easily she could literally kill him if she so chose. His voice changed the air; slowly she turned her head to his hand. It was still raised with the droplet of his blood holding itself on the end of his index finger. Noiselessly she moved, leaning up and over him in one motion so she was poised above. Her lekku were tense and bunching at her shoulders like they were trying to hold the rest of her back, the second new sign he’d seen today. The General’s eyes, usually so warm, were almost glinting with intent as they darted from his face to the outstretched finger. The moment was pregnant and stretched in all directions for Bly as he lay prone, unable to move even if he wanted to. She lent forward, not breaking eye contact, and kissed the tip of his finger. He felt the cool point of her tongue follow to chase the droplet into her mouth. She hissed slightly at the heat of it. It was quicker than a shot, but Bly still let out a panting breath as she moved back and coiled off of the bed again. What the hell was that he thought, trying to make his brain as loud as possible for her to hear. She still said nothing, but made sure all of the readouts for his vitals were working, fiddled with the aircon whilst muttering about human temperatures. The whole time he watched her. She didn’t meet his gaze. As she turned to leave without a word Bly couldn’t stand it and seized her wrist. 

 

“general.” He said quietly, to no response. He tugged gently, and said what he really wanted to,

 

“Aayla...” Bly drew his teeth and tongue over the vowels. Aayla shivered and her facade fell. Turning slowly, she sunk to her knees so she was face to face with him and rested a hand on his forehead in a show of taking his temperature. They were inches apart.

 

“...why did you do that?” Bly whispered as if he was afraid to scare her away. Aayla sighed.

 

“I am not sure, Bly, I just. I just did, I was compelled to. I like having you near and I missed you, I guess I wanted to keep a bit of you for myself. I don’t really know what came over me, it’s not even a Twi’lek thing I’d forgotten...” She whispered back. Her lekku had fallen forward over her shoulders and twisted together again and, again, she seemed to not have noticed. Bly’s eyes darted from her face to her lekku and back.

 

“What does that mean?”

 

Aayla didn’t look away from him but brushed her hand against them where they quivered in response, and she smiled sadly. Bly thought she was crying then she blinked, and it cleared. She was so close, he could almost hear her heartbeat and see the colouration on her earcones.

 

“It means that I like you very, very much. And if another Master saw, I would get in a lot of trouble.”

 

Bly’s heart stopped in his chest. He stared at her uncomprehending. Shifting in the bed he sat up before slumping back down with the dizziness. Aayla was up in a flash and over him, soothing him back into the covers as he kept struggling to sit.

 

“You, what? General? I mean- but why do you look so sad?“ Bly stuttered to himself, shaking his head to clear it. She hung over him and blinked down. Swiping a hand again on his forehead, she frowned.

 

“You need rest, Commander. You need sleep to truly recover.” 

 

“You don’t get to change the subject.”

 

“What do you want me to say?”

 

“Why does that make you so sad? I don’t understand.”

 

Aayla paused. She was starting to clam up to him, he could see the fluttering Jedi flags falling around her as he scrambled to keep her engaged. 

 

“Bly... I think you do understand.” She started, drawing a lip between her teeth for a moment before releasing it. “I know it was when you were in the ICU, but you remember what I showed you?”

 

Bly remembered the swelling press of feeling against his mind; the all encompassing sense of trust and hope and the glittering beat of her heart in the web of the universe. He nodded.

 

“What was that?”

 

“How I feel, I projected my emotions onto you.”

 

She contained that inside her everyday?!

 

“but, Sorry General, aren’t emotions...?” He started, waving a hand in a vague manner. Aalyas eyes went sharp.

 

“If you mean forbidden, then you’ve not understood what I’ve been telling you about the Jedi ways.”

 

“Just a clone, Sir. Sorry, Jedi teaching is above the likes of me.” Bly said dryly to ease the tension of her shoulders. Aayla frowned at him. 

 

“Please stop putting yourself down. I can feel the currents of your brain and you’re not stupid.” Bly attempted to look contrite under her gaze and must’ve succeeded, as She huffed and shifted to a cross legged position to his side, settling in for an explanation. 

 

“Compassion for all living things is central for the Jedi. Our whole existence revolves around it. It includes everything from the smallest organism in a primordial soup to a hive mind to planets to the galaxy as we know it. Our life is to help others, and find balance. Living for your passions or your own directives, however, can disturb that balance inside us because then we become personally invested. We are the rocks that life must flow around, not a dam that diverts the course. If We can’t stand back from the situation, we can’t think logically about it and follow the right path. You with me so far?”

 

“Sir, anything in the water diverts the course.” He observed. 

 

“Yes, but some diversions are natural, some are forced. It is our place to respond to the Force and do as it wills, not bend it to our own gain.”

 

“But what does this have anything to do with your- that?” Bly countered as he gestured to her lekku. Aayla sighed and shifted again as she gathered her hands into her lap.

 

“You’ve not seen this before, because you’ve never seen me attracted to someone before.”

 

Bly stared at her. “I’ve been with you around General Fisto, Sir, I think I have been.” 

 

Aayla rolled her eyes. 

 

“Kit is attractive yes, and we have been with each other before,” this was unwelcome news to Bly, but she carried on, “but you misunderstand me. This,” she gestured to her lekku as well, “this is different. This is physical and spiritual attraction, a connection with someone that is so natural for you that you don’t notice it happening when they’re present. At least, that’s what I was told, I didn’t believe it until now.” 

 

Bly could hear white noise in his ears but it could be another headrush from leaving the tank. His General, Aayla... then she, well, wow.

 

“Wow.” He said, dumbfounded. “Well.”

 

Aayla seemed to blush again, a darker blue spreading across the bridge of her nose to her ear cones,  

 

“Yeah, wow.” She agreed, tapping her fingers on her knees.

 

“I don’t expect you to say anything Bly, but you wanted to understand, so now you do.” She was moving again, drawing her legs up to her chest before dropping them over the side of the bed. “Rest assured that this won’t affect our working relationship. I’m sure with meditation I can clear this up.”

 

“... ex-fucking-cuse me? Clear this up?!” Bly blurted. “I think you just told me you love me in some mental Jedi way and you’re going to go and clear it up like it’s a case of fucking blaster burn?!” 

 

Aayla blinked owlishly for a moment, the first time he’d ever seen her lost for words, and he barrelled ahead.

 

“I’ve spent the last two years bleeding and dying and reviving for you, not because you’re my General but because I respect you Aayla, and I want to be around you. Because you’ve repeatedly shown me how brave and strong and kind you are? That you could crush a transport or bring down a ship at any moment but instead you teach shinies about poisonous plants to avoid? That you were kind to me? That despite treating all of us like humans, you share that smile only with me? I know, Aayla,” He could die with her name on his lips, “I know that you do, because my priority is keeping you safe and alive. I’ve watched these little changes in you and done nothing because you’re my CO and my Jedi, and I don’t want to do that to you. Do you know how hard it’s been to hold all this inside?! You think I don’t know that you’ve known how I felt since the first inkling of it but you’ve never said anything, ever, and the first time you do you tell me you’re going to karking erase all of it from your fucking brain after you licked my blood off of me to keep it?!? Do you know how crazy that sounds?! Well what about my brain Aayla? What about poor Bly when he sees your lekku turn themselves Into a pretzel but you’ve forgotten about it? What about-“

 

Bly’s tirade was paused by Aaylas fingers gently resting on his lips. He was breathing heavily like they’d been brawling and his eyes burned at her. Aayla shifted closer and titled her head. 

 

“I am sorry Bly, that all came out wrong. I’m not good at this.” Was her explanation and her apology. Bly started to retort, when Aayla leaned forward and placed a hesitant, chaste kiss to his cheeks, first the left then right, over his tattoos. His retort cut off in his throat like a groan. She then placed one on each temple, his eyebrows, the middle of his forehead, the bridge of his nose. Her hands were splayed on the bed either side of the pillow and her left Lek slid over her shoulder and hung between his shoulder and chin. Bly didn’t want to breathe for fear of spooking her. She paused at the tip of his nose and pulled back a little to look at him. 

 

“I’d never erase you, Bly.” She said, very solemnly, “also you’re so bloody grumpy I don’t think you’d let me.” 

 

Bly huffed a laugh and tentatively wrapped a hand around one of her wrists, feeling her thrumming pulse under his fingertips. Another difference between them; her heart was like a bird, always trying to escape. He leaned his head so the tip of her lek caught between his cheek and the bedding and let the soft pressure keep it there and enjoying the way it made her shift.

 

“No, I wouldn’t. It took this long for you to notice me.”

 

“Oh Bly,” she murmured, closing the distance so his world turned blue, “you were the first I ever noticed.”

 

Their lips met with a little gasp from both of them at the temperature difference between them. Soft, sweet brushes and little nipping kisses. Bly slid his hand up her arm to feel the latent power there- ridges of muscle right up against the skin. He softly dug his nails into the flesh of her bicep making her mewl into his mouth. They both sprang apart as suddenly at the equipment of the bed started beeping loud and sharp, telling him  how is heart rate was spiking and was he going into cardiac arrest. Bly fell back into the bed with a groan and threw an arm over his face as Aayla laughed and fixed the machine, politely ignoring his raging hard on as she slid off the bed.

 

She fiddled with the machine for a while in comfortable silence. They both hummed smugly in the Force as she perched on the end of the bed, fiddling with his feet and making them bend.

 

“I’m going to leave you to get some rest now, I don’t want to impede your recovery.” 

 

Bly made an arguably pitiful noise in his throat.

 

“Stay a little longer? There could be seppies anywhere, and I’ve got no gear.” He said smoothly. She smirked at him before shimmying up the bed, leaning back against the wall and rearranging his head and pillows in her lap. Once situated, she began threading her fingers through his hair.

 

“I’ll stay only if you rest, Bly.” _I need you better, I need you whole._

 

Bly sighed and settled back, sleeping without the dreams none of them shared for the first time in his existence. 

 

—-

 

From the security office, whoops and hollers exploded, followed by irate shouting and complaining . 

 

“That doesn’t mean anything, Galle!”

 

“That was at most heavy petting.”

 

“I can’t believe you idiots are betting on this, if Bly finds out-“

 

“please, The Commander is going to be so far round the moons of Iego he won’t even notice.”

 

“Fine then, if the General finds out, you’re so dead and she’ll take all the money and still get you court marshalled.”

 

“She’s not going to court Marshall me for a bet.”

 

“I dunno brother, she scares the shit out of me when she’s angry.”

 

“Well then boys, double or nothing; odds on the commander and the General hooking up in the med bay and my death if they find out I started a betting ring?”

 

Squabbles and shouting and shoving ensued as the 327th took the moments of joy they could, and joked like they had nothing else to live for.

 

 

—-

 

 


End file.
